'Very fortunate': Experienced boatie speaks of near-death ordeal
A WA grandfather says he feared he would die as he clung onto his boat which overturned off the Mandurah coastline.
Lance Rock tied himself to the upturned boat and found an air pocket so he could breathe after a freak wave crashed on top of his boat.
The 79-year-old was out crayfishing with friends Ken Devereux, 78, and Joe Butis, 56, when the group was thrown overboard on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Rock, who is a veteran of two Sydney to Hobart races, said he’s never encountered a freak wave like it in his 60 years boating.
“All that was worrying me was how long I could hang on for and how cold you’ve got to be before you can’t hold on any longer,” he said.
“I’ve never had that happen before, and I’ve been out on boats a lot of times.
“And in some pretty rugged weather too.”
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The trio weren’t wearing life jackets at the time.
Luckily one of the men used his mobile phone to call for help as they entered the water.
With water conditions too dangerous to use a winch, the men were stranded in the water for an hour.
"They were very lucky but they were also very stupid to go out in conditions like this with no life jackets," Peel Water Police Acting Senior Sergeant Troy Pillage said at the time.
The trio were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment.
“We’re very very fortunate we’ve got the services we have,” Mr Rock said.
And the ordeal hasn’t put Mr Rock off returning to the water, with plans to head back out for the crayfish on Friday.
“Hopefully the crays we lost have jumped back in,” he said.
